Lily Rose wrote: She fought for Will for MONTHS, when no one else would, not even Hannibal was trying to get him out when Alana was still trying to free him. BECAUSE SHE'S A GOOD AND CARING PERSON WHO CANNOT IMAGINE THAT SOMETHING LIKE HANNIBAL EXISTS. She doesn't know she's in a show called "Hannibal."

I'm sorry, that sort of got away from me. I HAVE ALANA BLOOM FEELINGS, OK.

Aw, I'm with you, I don't think she's at fault, I just wish she knew she was in a show about a cannibal, and I wish she wouldn't keep interviewing people she has actually slept with, and I wish Jack had some common sense. Jack has no common sense. Jack chases murderer psychologists (or so he believes) in the woods with no backup. Jack should not be letting Alana interview people he KNOWS she sleeps with sometimes. Jack should not be letting torture victims with guns be alone with alleged torturers. Jack is the worst at helping, tbh.

I was SO MAD at Jack last night for taking Miriam to Hannibal's office. I know it was a test, but that just makes it WORSE. He KNOWS what she has been through, and he's actually suspicious of Hannibal now, and he USED HER AGAIN. Man, what a shithead he's being.

In no way should Alana still be involved in any of these interrogations, but I can shrug that off. In a show with tree corpses and mushroom gardens and Ravenstags, I can let it go.

In a show with tree corpses and mushroom gardens and Ravenstags, I can let it go.

Hee. The thing is, I feel like there needs to be an adult around for these characters, and she WAS the adult, but now she can't be the objective one. That's why it's bugging me, not because it's all that implausible. I feel like it's turning into what Ebert used to call an Idiot Plot, "a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot." It's not that they truly are idiots, but they have obvious conflicts of interest that the characters themselves ought to be able to perceive, or should at least comment on to each other. If the show actually acknowledged this stuff, it would bug me less. Like, I could forgive an Alana who has strong feelings for Hannibal and admits to feeling conflicted about being involved with a suspect but can't stop herself, especially since she believes he's innocent.

_________________"Good news, Katniss, I think we've almost got him convinced you're not a mutt!" — Plutarch, attempting to cheer Katniss up about Peeta's condition.

In a show with tree corpses and mushroom gardens and Ravenstags, I can let it go.

Hee. The thing is, I feel like there needs to be an adult around for these characters, and she WAS the adult, but now she can't be the objective one. That's why it's bugging me, not because it's all that implausible. I feel like it's turning into what Ebert used to call an Idiot Plot, "a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot." It's not that they truly are idiots, but they have obvious conflicts of interest that the characters themselves ought to be able to perceive, or should at least comment on to each other. If the show actually acknowledged this stuff, it would bug me less. Like, I could forgive an Alana who has strong feelings for Hannibal and admits to feeling conflicted about being involved with a suspect but can't stop herself, especially since she believes he's innocent.

I actually agree with all of that. Bryan Fuller mentioned in the latest AV Club interview that this episode was written a little crazily and I can see that contributing to this feeling like they are forgetting some things (like the obvious conflicts of interest, the fact that Chilton couldn't digest protein and yet was supposedly eating all these people):

Bryan Fuller wrote:I can trace the DNA of its idea and inception, and with this—because we started this season with two-and-a-half months less time than we did the first season—we broke the first seven episodes and then started writing them and with no idea what eight and beyond was besides it involving Mason Verger, building on these things, and then we’re out! Seven was a bit of a void until we got to episode six. [Laughs.] “Okay, what’s coming next?” because we were in such a dither to get it done and get it ready for camera.

Everytime I see Alana now, I think of how badly this is going to hit her when Hannibal is revealed to be the ripper and she realises that what she thought was a development in their relationship was actually him manipulating her for his own ends. She's a trusting person who stands by her friends and I can't imagine she's not going to be damaged by that revelation.

QueenSix

Posts : 1313Join date : 2011-10-22Location : City of the Tribes, West of Ireland

I feel like it's turning into what Ebert used to call an Idiot Plot, "a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot."

I feel like it's been that way the whole time, but at least now everyone is actively suspicious of Hannibal, I'm not mad at Alana at all because she does have good reason to trust him/be in denial of his being the Ripper. Okay that's not true I am not going to accept her telling Will his attempt on Hannibal's life wasn't "okay". Honey from his perspective, if he's RIGHT (and we know he is) killing Hannibal by proxy was the least the fancy cannibal deserves.

I do hope Chilton is not dead, both because of the canonical implications and because I enjoy the hell out of Raul's performance.

particle_person wrote:Actually, if Chilton isn't dead, considering his previous run-in with Gideon, this could be a hilarious running gag — How Much Trauma Can One Oily Psychologist Take?

How messed up am I that I would LOVE if that became a running gag? Sadly, I would really enjoy it if every season Chilton ALMOST dies, only to survive against all odds, right up until the events of SOTL.

I have to hand it to Raul Esparza though, he's really made Chilton his own. And I was very skeptical that anyone could come close to Anthony Heald's performance.

The way he plays Chilton, Esparza is slimy like Heald but in a completely different way. I can't put my finger on exactly how, but there's a slightly different feel to it that's not good or bad, just different. I think part of it is that Esparza's Chilton is funnier. I might hate working with him, but he'd be fun to talk to at cocktail parties. Heald's Chilton would be someone I'd need to completely avoid in all settings.

BF: I consider Hannibal a very very very dark comedy, and that's my coping mechanism because I have to see it as absurdist dark humor on one level, and on another level, an emotional story about male friendships.

_________________"Good news, Katniss, I think we've almost got him convinced you're not a mutt!" — Plutarch, attempting to cheer Katniss up about Peeta's condition.

I will pay money to the first person to tweet "FINE HAM ABOUNDS" the next time Hannibal makes dinner. Okay, I won't, because I have no money, but Kids in the Hall, people, it's right there! "Weeeeeeiner FLAVOR". I'll show myself out.

The first time I have ever legitimately gasped in horror at a murder scene (I have winced, covered my eyes, covered my mouth, hid behind my hair, made Meg sit on my lap while watching but I haven't gasped out loud) until I saw Randall's exhibit, for want of a better word, at the museum. And it horrified me because Will had a part in that?? Will, who I spent all of season one hoping he got help and then spent the first part of season two hoping that someone other than Hannibal would try to help him and then when he did get Beverly to help him, she died so then I had to stop wanting people to help him and just wanted him out the hospital.

Someone needs to hold my hand and tell me Will is going to be okay.

QueenSix

Posts : 1313Join date : 2011-10-22Location : City of the Tribes, West of Ireland

But he's gone through too much to come out of this unscathed. And it is going to get worse, there's still three episodes left. I think the best we can all hope for is that Hannibal is not okay by the end of the season, which will let everyone else (Jack, Alana, Will, Chilton, Freddie...others) have a chance at being okay in the future.

Yes, I think we are going to get one interpretation of why Will Graham had to admit himself to hospital for treatment after taking down Lecter and it does give credence to Hannibal's words in Red Dragon about why he was able to get Lecter, because they were so much alike, or words to that effect.

Three episodes left and we still have Jack's fight with Hannibal to look forward to. Or at least what motivates Jack to go after him.

QueenSix

Posts : 1313Join date : 2011-10-22Location : City of the Tribes, West of Ireland

At this point I almost don't care that Will has gone evil, I'm just sad that Freddie is not going to be on the show anymore because I will miss her outfits and her shit-stirring. (I don't believe she's not really dead, I played that game once with Beverly and lost.)

This episode was just crazypants (sometimes crazypantsless). Mason Verger is the first person on this show to genuinely creep me out. Hannibal doesn't do it*— he's too gentlemanly, too sane, too matter-of-fact to be creepy, not even when he's slashing people in the basement, not even when he's serving people their own body parts. When he tortures people, it's always done off-screen. Mason is vicious and unhinged and not even a little gentlemanly, and he honestly frightened me in that scene with Margot.

Margot is my new favorite character. She's so coldly matter-of-fact about everything. I love the way she speaks. I don't know what to think about her using Will for a sperm donor, but I don't have much sympathy for him. Hasn't Will ever heard of condoms? Also, if he murdered Freddie, he's lost my goodwill. No pun.

[*]Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal is creepier because of his voice and appearance and the way he tries to get under Clarice's skin (so to speak, heh) by pushing her psychologically. And that way he keeps hissing her name. "Do you still hear the lambs, Clarissse?"

_________________"Good news, Katniss, I think we've almost got him convinced you're not a mutt!" — Plutarch, attempting to cheer Katniss up about Peeta's condition.

I really don't think Freddie is dead. I think this all goes back to that conversation Jack and Will had about drawing out Hannibal, and Will is effing with Hannibal to get him to let down his guard. I suspect Freddie is hanging out at some cabin somewhere. Will participating in that tableau was definitely upsetting, but I just think (hope?) this is some sort of long con. He'll definitely need some sort of treatment after all of this, though, regardless of motive.

I can't believe Freddie is dead. Will may be willing to go really far to lure Hannibal into his web, but I can't believe he'd full-on murderize someone to do it, even someone as objectively awful as Freddie.* He must have offered her one hell of an exclusive to get her to go into hiding. At least I hope so, although I'm a little less sure of Will's moral limits when it comes to holding her prisoner somewhere. But for that I'd think he'd have to have an accomplice and I don't think even Jack Crawford would go for that.

*I actually love Freddie. But she is totally a terrible person, even if she's not The Worst like you-know-who.

This might make me sound terrible, but I was much more bothered by the eating of the ortolans than I have been by any other dish on this show. Not because they are endangered, but because the idea of eating a bird whole -- bones, innards, beak and all -- just seems so disgusting and perverse.

The ortolans were more disturbing to me than any other food (including people) on the show. I would rather eat a human. The shot of the bird in the glass while the liquor flowed down around its feet haunts me. I can't believe anyone would even think of such a thing, let alone actually make it and eat it.

Last edited by Lily Rose on Sun May 11, 2014 5:32 pm; edited 1 time in total